of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Published by Oxford University Press doi:10.1093/annhyg/mei080 Enzyme exposure in the British baking industry

Objectives: Enzymes are commonly used in the baking industry, as they can improve dough quality and texture and lengthen the shelf life of the final product. There is little published information highlighting exposure to enzymes (other than fungal alpha-amylase) in the baking industry, therefore the purpose of this study was to identify antibodies and develop assays for the measurement of a variety of such enzymes in samples of airborne flour dust. Methods: Polyclonal antibodies to bacterial amylase, glucose oxidase and amyloglucosidase were identified and developed into ELISA assays. The assays showed limited cross-reactivity with other enzymes commonly used in the baking industry. Results: We measured levels of airborne enzymes in 195 personal air samples taken from a sample of 55 craft baking establishments. We were able to detect amyloglucosidase in 9% (16/184) of the samples, fungal alpha-amylase in 6 % (11/171), bacterial alpha-amylase in 7 % (13/ 195). However, we were unable to detect glucose oxidase in any of the samples. Measurements for protease enzymes were not carried out. Median levels in detectable samples of amylogluc-osidase, fungal alpha-amylase and bacterial amylase were similar at 10.3, 5.3 and 5.9 ng/m3, respectively. These figures represent the total enzyme protein (active and inactive) measured